Earth Advantage Broker Accreditation

This comprehensive green accreditation course, presented by Earth Advantage, will provide real estate professionals with a competitive edge in communicating features and benefits for green and energy efficient home opportunities in their market.

Are you prepared to meet increasing homebuyer demand for healthy, comfortable, efficient homes?

A nationwide study in 2016* found that 81% of people who expect to buy a new home in the next two years say higher energy efficiency would cause them to choose one home over another AND that they would be willing to pay more for a healthier home. Policies and programs are also growing the green home market such as the City of Portland Home Energy Score Program and the more than 1-in-3 new homes built in Oregon that have earned an EPS® from Energy Trust of Oregon demonstrating they perform an average of 22% better than code-built homes.

The big picture shows a dramatic rise in the popularity of green and energy efficient homes that provide a healthier living environment and greater energy, water, and resource efficiency. Stay on top of your game by becoming an Earth Advantage Broker so you can continue to exceed homebuyer expectations with savvy information and recommendations.

Learn how to upgrade or sell a green home and market yourself as a green professional. Homebuyers and sellers rely on their real estate agents to provide influential guidance, and yet a 2017 report by the National Association of REALTORS®** shows that only 39% of REALTORS are comfortable answering clients' questions about energy efficiency. Homebuyers with ready access to the internet will expect you to know more and be a trusted advisor in their purchasing decisions. Being a green professional means you are ahead of the curve and understand how houses are changing. In order to best serve your clients, you will be expected to have earned a green designation proving that you have knowledge of the green home market, can discuss green features and benefits, and recommend the best ways to upgrade.  

A 'Newly Remodeled' Training
Earth Advantage Broker has been updated and now provides the most relevant and must-know green home information designed to help real estate professionals.  

New resources. New activities. New modular approach. Included in this course are:

• The Anatomy of a Green Home
• Making Savvy Energy & Solar Upgrades    
• Millennials & Smart Homes Are Changing Real Estate
• How Homebuyers Ask for Green (Without Saying the Word)
• Top 10 Green Broker Resources

Learning Objectives

• Communicate the benefits of different must-know products and features to clients with varying values and needs
• Recommend existing home upgrade options, incentives, rebates, and ROIs
• Understand the ins-and-outs of a green home
• Benefit your clients by providing timely solar PV info
• Market and explain green home certifications and energy scores
• Gain resources for financing and appraising green homes
• Walk away with expertise on smart homes, millennials, MLS green fields, and so much more! 

Earn the Earth Advantage Broker Accreditation 
Take the course & pass the accreditation exam in order to become an EA Broker. Earth Advantage provides marketing support in the form of logos and a professional listing on the accredited professionals registry to help you display and promote your green credential to future clients.  

Maintaining Your Accreditation
Brokers must earn 4 CEs in green real estate education every 2 years to maintain the EA Broker designation. Earth Advantage regularly offers high quality, relevant education courses via in-person, online and webinar formats. Learn more here >>

Questions about this training program? Please contact the EA Education Team at education@earthadvantage.org or (503) 968-7160 x66.

*Statistic from Energy Pulse 2016 - Shelton Communication Group, Inc. 
** Statistic from Sustainability Report 2017 - National Association of REALTORS®

Course Content
This online course is approximately 8 hours long. It consists of 3-5 minute video presentations divided into 5 modules. Students can start or stop their viewing at their own pace and easily resume the course at another time. Short quiz questions and activities may appear between video sections to help you remember the content covered in the videos. A 35-question final exam is presented at the end of the course.